Roderick Smith

Mr. Smith describes shooting down an Italian Macchi and watching its death dive into the harbour at Valletta, Malta.

Mr. Smith describes shooting down an Italian Savoia-Marchetti torpedo bomber as it approached the disabled tanker, USS Ohio.

Mr. Smith describes his strategy for successfully shooting down a German JU-88, and then describes his evasive measures.

Mr. Smith describes taking off from an aircraft carrier and flying over North Africa on his way to the airfields in Malta.

Mr. Smith describes several aspects of his first flying mission: seeing a friendly pilot eject over the English Channel, viewing the French landscape, and experiencing German flak along the French coast.

Mr. Smith describes the process of ‘working up’, wherein the squadron practised formation flying and aerial target shooting. After this training they were declared battle ready.

Mr. Smith discusses learning how to dogfight and his decreased reliance on his instruments, learning instead to trust the “feel” of his Spitfire. This experience renews his confidence as a pilot.

Mr. Smith describes his impressions of the Spitfire, his initial flight in one, and his feeling that he’d never be able to fly one properly.

Mr. Smith describes disappointment of being assigned to army co-op duty at Grangemouth, Scotland but later perks up learning that it was a Spitfire base.

Mr. Smith describes the exhilaration or disappointment of being selected or not for Overseas pilot duty.